Books and Illustrations

Creating the Number People

Marion Weathers and Leigh Ballance studying the storyboard for The Secret of Gum Swamp.

During his bank years in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the two met. Ballance shared his story of the number characters with Weathers. As he described each number character and their personality to her, she began sketching the numbers as characters. Together they created Zero through Nine, giving each of them human traits and unique characteristics including hairstyles, clothing and distinct personalities. The resulting sketches became the catalyst for creating The Secret of Gum Swamp.